Devotional articles and poetry that come from a 40-something disabled lady's spiritual journey. Her hope is to inspire the reader to draw closer to Jesus and have a clearer view of His beautiful Heart.

October 10, 2007

I was just reading in Matthew 17:20, where Jesus said if you have the faith the size of a grain of mustard seed that you can say to this mountain be removed and and cast into the sea and it would do it.

I've often wondered why it seems that that doesn't work very often; you know here and now in the present in the real world. Have you ever struggled with this?

Of course God's Word is true. There's no doubt about that. But what does this verse actually mean? And why don't we see mountains going into the ocean? Especially if all we have to do is tell them to do it, right? oh! I forgot. We have to do it in Jesus' Name, right?

Wrong!

When I was reading this just now, it hit me. It didn't say just tell that mountain to go into the sea and it would. Jesus said, if you have faith.

He did not say if you name it and claim it. He did not say if you make the right confession. He did not say if you tell it to go often enough, long enough, loud enough it will go. He did not say if you ask him, in spite of the impossible odds.

Jesus said, if you have faith.

Let's think about this for just a minute. Do you think you would ask a mountain to go into the sea? I doubt that I would. Why not? Kind of silly right? I mean, what possible purpose would a mountain have for jumping into the middle of the ocean? It seems a bit ludicrous even to think that my words could have enough power to pick up a mountain and throw it in the water. But you know what? Just because that is what I believe, it will never happen.

I don't care how many times I tell that mountain to go into the water, because I believe it's stupid and for no purpose, it will never happen. Not because God's Word is not true. But because I don't believe in my heart.

The same is true about any insurmountable situation that you might face today. This is so powerful! You can name and claim the answer to your prayer all day long. You can positively confess until you're blue in the face. You can write it on the calendar. You can write it on 3 x 5 cards, and carry them in your pocket, taking them out and read them, whenever you want remember, or maybe remind God this is what you need. As if he would forget.

You can do all this if it will help you. But until you get it settled deep within your heart, into the very fabric of your being that your God, the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, a God who parted the Red Sea, the God who spoke all word of life came into existence, this God is big enough and walling to help you, this will never be! Until the true character of God is established in your heart, knowing that He has only your good in mind, no matter what things may look like right now, that mountain is never going into the water!

So, my dear friends, settle it in your heart today. God is good. He is not only good He is Love. And he is all sufficient. He is all powerful. And He knows exactly what it will take to get you from where you are to where you need to be.

The road might be bumpy along the way, but as long as you know He is with you and He is well able to keep you from falling and provide for all of your needs, you will have what you believe God will do and is able to do.

Remember, he knows your heart. You may be able to fool everyone else, and maybe even yourself. But man looks on the outward appearance and God looks upon our hearts. He made us, so he knows what we are made of and He knows what makes us tick. He knows what inspires us. He knows what brings the joy. He knows what it is going to take to see us through. And he has the power to pull it off! :-)

Trust Him. Don't struggle. Don't fret. Don't try to beat down every door. Stand still on see the salvation of the Lord.